force de frappe

force de frappe (‘striking force’)A euphemism for the French nuclear programme (force nucléaire stratégique) which was developed during the 1950s, at a time when possession of the atomic bomb was considered an essential requirement of a superpower. It was taken up enthusiastically by de Gaulle, who shifted the nuclear tests from Algeria to the South Pacific following Algerian independence in 1962. It became a powerful symbol of the Gaullist emphasis on foreign policy and nationalism as a way to unite the French people. Perhaps more importantly, it was a sop to the bruised French military, whose goodwill he needed especially in the wake of the Algerian War of Independence and the Évian Agreements. Finally, for de Gaulle, the force presented an opportunity to become militarily independent of the USA. The nuclear programme was continued by the two non-Gaullist presidents, Giscard d'Estaing and the socialist Mitterrand. It was taken up with particular vigour and emphasis by President Chirac who resumed nuclear testing in Mururoa in September 1995.

nuclear bomb